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Words by Big Heavy World. Photos courtesy the bands.

Join us for a Big Heavy World celebration this November 15 and catch Old Sky and Xenia Dunford perform together at ArtsRiot. Doors are at 7pm, music begins at 7:15pm. The show is free, wheelchair accessible, and open to fans of all-ages!

Rocket Shop is Big Heavy World’s local music radio hour, featuring weekly live performances and interviews from musicians from around the state. Broadcasting direct from the SEABA Center on Pine street in Burlington, Rocket Shop airs every Wednesday night from 8-9pm on 105.9FM The Radiator. You can also stream The Radiator 24/7 at bigheavyworld.com or tune in through iTunes’ ‘eclectic’ radio section.

Breaking from its tradition of radio only broadcasts, Rocket Shop is now teaming up with ArtsRiot and guest host Paddy Reagan to present you Rocket Shop LIVE, a monthly live concert series held straight from the ArtsRiot main stage. This week features back to back performances from local bluegrass duo Old Sky and Burlington-based singer-songwriter Xenia Dunford.

We invite you all to join us for a night of folk music and festivities as we usher in the colder weather with songs sure to keep your feet warm.

Xenia Dunford

“Xenia Dunford is a BTV based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist whose sound is heavily steeped in jazz & blues but with a style all her own. A thoughtful lyricist, her songs evoke themes of love, lust & disillusionment as she navigates this crazy AF life. DAMN!” (Description from Facebook. Photo from Bandcamp.)

Old Sky

Old Sky is a Americana outfit located in Burlington, Vermont featuring Andrew Stearns and Shay Gestal. The two met at a local Old Time music session in 2012 and began to develop a sound influenced by their time in the bluegrass band Gold Town and working through Stearns’ repertoire of country and folk tunes. The two create music with a strong emphasis on harmonies and respect for traditional music. (Photo from Facebook.)

Photo by James Lockridge/Big Heavy World.

A group of local community builders joined guest host Jim Lockridge as panelists on ‘Rocket Shop‘, Big Heavy World’s weekly local Vermont music radio hour on 105.9FM The Radiator. The conversation brought to light the issues and opportunities that our music community face in Vermont — from a need for overtness in creating ‘safe’ spaces to collaboration and fearlessness in introducing each other to new sounds and subcultures. It highlighted our strengths, too, and is a short deep dive into our status and future as a music community. Big Heavy sends big thanks out to each panelists for lending their time and experience to a pubic conversation that has already strengthened our scene.

Melo Grant is a community radio enthusiast known for her long running radio show, The Cultural Bunker, heard on WRUV 90.1 FM and now also on WBTV LP 99.3 FM. She offers a platform to independent VT based musicians which allows them the opportunity to expose their music to a wider audience.

Brian LaClair fronts the Burlington-based band Better Things and programs The Hub, a teen center and skatepark serving at-risk youth of five towns in Addison County. He’s the founder of a local community run initiative to reinforce the safety and strengthen the relationship between the city’s many local underground presenters called DIY Burlington.

Meredith Davey is a local music promoter, an active participant of the Burlington music scene and the singer and vocalist in local rock trio, Gestalt.

Griffin Jones is a music community organizer with the Friends+Family booking collective which hosts DIY events, promotes new and emerging artists and fosters the local underground music scene. https://www.facebook.com/friendsandfamilyvt/

Words by Randy Laba. Photo by James Lockridge.

“My name is Randy Laba. I’m a native Vermonter and my wife and I have both recently retired. I’ve always had an interest in music and when looking into volunteer opportunities learned about the BHW music archive. Besides volunteering with other organizations I’m currently helping out with the CD archiving process. My wife and I live in Essex Junction and have two grown daughters and one grandson in the area. My hobbies include golf, watching all sports and listening to music.”

Words by Big Heavy World. Photo by Taylor Cook.

Panelists responsible for bringing musicians together around different scenes and causes gather are gathering tonight, Wednesday November 8, 8-9pm (doors 7:30pm), to talk about their motives and community-building tools that we can all benefit from hearing about. The panel will be hosted at Big Heavy World, inside the SEABA Center, 404 Pine Street in Burlington, with seating for the public — free and all-ages; you’re welcome to join the conversation! It’s also a live radio broadcast at 105.9FM of ‘Rocket Shop,’ Big Heavy World’s weekly local music radio program — come see the radio magic happen!

The panel will be moderated by James Lockridge of Big Heavy World. Panelists include representatives of Burlington’s basement shows underground; the Friends & Family booking collective; local bands, DJs, and Burlington’s Hip Hop music and arts community.

Griffin Jones is a music community organizer with the Friends+Family booking collective which hosts DIY events, promotes new and emerging artists and fosters the local underground music scene. https://www.facebook.com/friendsandfamilyvt/

Scottie Raymond, a.k.a. eSKae1 is a VT-based visual artist, Hip-Hop promoter, musician and founder/producer of the Above the Radar graffiti festival. He’s the Original Prankster with Anthill Collective, host of 3rd Thursdays Hip-Hop showcase and an MC in Burlington Hip-Hop super group Bless The Child.

Brian LaClair fronts the Burlington-based band Better Things and programs The Hub, a teen center and skatepark serving at-risk youth of five towns in Addison County. He’s the founder of a local community run initiative to reinforce the safety and strengthen the relationship between the city’s many local underground presenters called DIY Burlington.

Meredith Davey is a local music promoter, an active participant of the Burlington music scene and the singer and vocalist in local rock trio, Gestalt.

Melo Grant is a community radio enthusiast know for her long running radio show, The Cultural Bunker, heard on WRUV 90.1 FM and now also on WBTV LP 99.3 FM. She offers a platform to independent VT based musicians which allows them the opportunity to expose their music to a wider audience.

Words by Spencer Crispe. Photos courtesy Greg Bennick.

Greg Bennick will be in Vermont for two speaking engagements in early December both themed to the idea of “Changing the World Without Having a Clue”.

Over the past thirty years, highly acclaimed speaker Greg Bennick, has spoken worldwide at events ranging from international conferences to Nobel Tribute banquets. Greg’s main focus and specialty is speaking in a relaxed and approachable way to everyday audiences, and the subject matter will apply to anyone with a social conscience.

Greg will speak about how he went from touring the world with his punk/hardcore band (TRIAL) to founding a very small but highly effective human rights non-profit, and how having a solid plan was never part of the plan. Even without a clue, you too can change the world.

In a time of a frightening political climate, these evenings are sure to inspire and empower audiences to start changing the world. Find out more at www.wordsasweapons.com

Big Heavy World sends special thanks out to the crew of RETN for bringing Rocket Shop Live at Arts Riot to their local television audience and making the video available to public, educational, and government cable TV stations across the state!

Rocket Shop Live at ArtsRiot is a monthly concert series made possible with support from ArtsRiot, Big Heavy World, and RETN. The concerts are presented live on one Wednesday each month at ArtsRiot and broadcast live through Big Heavy World’s website and online at bigheavyworld.com. This month features alternative rock lover trio, Gestalt and Vermont wood-dweller, Hannah Hoffman. ‘Rocket Shop’ is Big Heavy World’s local music radio hour, every Wednesday night at 8 pm on 105.9FM The Radiator. Rocket Shop has hosted hundreds of Vermont musician guests in its many years on-air. This event is made possible with support from the BCA Community Fund and is a Vermont Arts 2017 performance. Catch up with podcasts of prior episodes in iTunes or at bigheavyworld.com/rocketshop!

About the Bands:

Gestalt (ɡəˈSHtält): the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Hard-hitting, melodic, anti-slacker, anti-apathetic, syncopated, unsyncopated, independent, alternative rock lover trio from Burlington, Vermont. Debut LP currently in the works. https://www.facebook.com/gestaltsounds/

Hannah Hoffman: Vermont wood-dweller Hannah Hoffman finds inspiration in observing human behavior, and exploring the concepts of light and darkness within oneself. Currently, in the process of writing her second album, Hoffman finds comfort in the uncomfortable exploration of what it means to be vulnerable, and how to expose and communicate the deep, dark parts of oneself through music. Hoffman’s freshman release, “Blur” (2015) consists of a collection of songs written during her formative years of leaving teenage-land and entering adulthood, and all of the heartbreak, experimenting with substances and relationships, and attempts at establishing oneself independently that come with it. Raised on her parent’s extensive collection of music, Hoffman was fascinated with everything from Led Zeppelin and Joni Mitchell, to The Cure, Tori Amos and Kate Bush, which is reflected in her songwriting style with elements of rock, folk, and a new wave edge. hannahhoffmanmusic.com/